The Mediterranean diet: A historical perspective on food for health

Hidalgo-Mora, Juan José; García-Vigara, Alicia; Sánchez-Sánchez, M. Luz; Garcı́a-Pérez, Miguel A.; Tarı́n, Juan J.; Cano, Antonio

doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2019.12.002

Cited by 75 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Questionnaires measuring and scoring adherence to the MD are considered suitable tools for identifying the dietary habits of a given population and for analyzing their association with the potential health benefits of this diet [ 5 , 30 ]. Amongst the various scores that have been developed to measure MD adherence, the 14-item MEDAS screening tool was previously validated for the Spanish population in the PREDIMED study [ 6 ] and has been widely investigated for its applicability in several other countries around the world [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A critical issue to further progress in the understanding of the impact of the MD on health is the implementation of suitable tools that allow for the assessment of MD adherence. Various models of food diaries, food frequency questionnaires and dietary assessment surveys have been developed, validated, and tested in different populations and countries [ 5 ]. Particularly, the PREDIMED study, a primary prevention nutrition-intervention trial, led to the development of the “Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener” (MEDAS) to assess dietary intake [ 6 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring the Validity of the 14-Item Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS): A Cross-National Study in Seven European Countries around the Mediterranean Region

et al. 2020

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This study provides comprehensive validation of the 14-item Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (14-MEDAS) in an adult population from Greece (GR), Portugal (PT), Italy (IT), Spain (SP), Cyprus (CY), Republic of North Macedonia (NMK), and Bulgaria (BG). A moderate association between the 14-MEDAS and the reference food diary was estimated for the entire population (Pearson r = 0.573, p-value < 0.001; Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) = 0.692, p-value < 0.001) with the strongest correlation found in GR, followed by PT, IT, SP, and CY. These results were supported by kappa statistics in GR, PT, IT, and SP with ≥50% of food items exhibiting a fair or better agreement. Bland–Altman analyses showed an overestimation of the 14-MEDAS score in the whole population (0.79 ± 1.81, 95%Confidence Interval (CI) 0.61, 0.96), but this value was variable across countries, with GR, NMK, and BG exhibiting the lowest bias. Taking all analyses together, the validation achieved slightly better results in the Mediterranean countries but a definitive validation ranking order was not evident. Considering growing evidence of the shift from Mediterranean Diet (MD) adherence and of the importance of culture in making food choices it is crucial that we further improve validation protocols with specific applications to compare MD adherence across countries.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Validity of the 14-Item Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS): A Cross-National Study in Seven European Countries around the Mediterranean Region

et al. 2020

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“…Previous epidemiologic studies also reported that greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables, legumes, cereals, fish, and fruits [9], and healthy eating patterns including vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, and legumes [11] were positively associated with hippocampal volumes in Western subjects, and a diet rich in roasted meat, sausages, hamburgers, and soft drinks was negatively associated with hippocampal volumes in Western subjects. We could not examine the association between brain atrophy and the traditional Mediterranean Diet Score based on daily consumption of seasonal fruit and vegetables, olive oil, cheese, fish, eggs, nuts, wine, and some chicken [28], as Japanese individuals consume less olive oil, cheese, nuts, and wine, which are the main components of the Mediterranean diet. Most previous results regarding the positive association of diets rich in vegetables, fruits, and legumes with hippocampal volume were similar to the findings of our study, but dietary patterns were different.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary diversity is associated with longitudinal changes in hippocampal volume among Japanese community dwellers

et al. 2020

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Background/Objectives Dietary habits are known to affect health, including the rate of brain ageing and susceptibility to diseases. This study examines the longitudinal relationship between dietary diversity and hippocampal volume, which is a key structure of memory processing and is known to be impaired in dementia. Subjects/Methods Subjects were aged 40-89 years (n = 1683, men: 50.6%) and participated in a 2-year follow-up study of the National Institute for Longevity Sciences-Longitudinal Study of Aging. Dietary intake was calculated from 3-day dietary records, and dietary diversity was determined using the Quantitative Index for Dietary Diversity at baseline. Longitudinal changes in hippocampal and total grey matter volumes were estimated by T1-weighted brain magnetic resonance imaging and FreeSurfer software. Estimated mean brain volume change in relation to dietary diversity score quintiles was assessed by the general linear model, adjusted for age, sex, education, smoking status, alcohol intake, physical activity, and comorbidities. Results The mean (± standard deviation) % decreases in hippocampal and total grey matter volume during the 2-year followup were 1.00% (±2.27%) and 0.78% (±1.83%), respectively. Multivariate-adjusted decreases in total grey matter volume were associated with dietary diversity score (p = 0.065, p for trend = 0.017), and the % decrease in hippocampal volume was more strongly associated with the dietary diversity score: the estimated mean (± standard error) values were 1.31% (±0.12%), 1.07% (±0.12%), 0.98% (±0.12%), 0.81% (±0.12%), and 0.85% (±0.12%), according to dietary diversity quintiles in ascending order (p = 0.030, p for trend = 0.003). Conclusions Among community dwellers, increased dietary diversity may be a new nutritional strategy to prevent hippocampal atrophy.

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“…Previous studies have shown that daily adherence to MD has a positive effect on cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, arthritis, cancer, and obstructive sleep apnea [10,11], and is also associated with a significant reduction of total mortality [12]. The advantages of MD adoption are already known for almost 50 years since the diminished cardiovascular disease risk was firstly observed in Mediterranean people correlated to their nutritional habits [13,14]. Moreover, in the past 20 years, all the new knowledge from implementation of cutting-edge technologies in microbiology offered a bulk of information about the immense significance of the gut microbiome.…”

Section: Mediterranean Diet and Inflammationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mediterranean Diet as a Tool to Combat Inflammation and Chronic Diseases. An Overview

et al. 2020

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Since ancient times, the quality of nourishment is a milestone for the maintenance of health and as it is stated ‘prevention is better than cure’, amongst the so-called ‘healthy’ diets Mediterranean diet (MD) claims the lion’s share. It stands in good stead because of a variety of valuable macro- and micronutrients. So, adherence to a MD is associated with the reduction of inflammation and non-communicable (NCD) OR chronic diseases. Numerous studies try to scrutinize the role of MD components as regards reducing inflammation, lowering rate, and mortality for disorders and illnesses, and preventing NCD. MD regime of the inhabitants of the Mediterranean basin includes a variety of ethnic nutritional habits and regulates an array of effects and epigenetic changes that affect human wellbeing. The research is still ongoing and endeavors to elucidate every aspect of this issue. This review focuses on the impact of MD on inflammation highlights positive results regarding NCD and indicates the need for more high-quality experiments and trials in order to overcome any discrepancies.

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The Mediterranean diet: A historical perspective on food for health

Cited by 75 publications

References 45 publications

Exploring the Validity of the 14-Item Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS): A Cross-National Study in Seven European Countries around the Mediterranean Region

Exploring the Validity of the 14-Item Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS): A Cross-National Study in Seven European Countries around the Mediterranean Region

Dietary diversity is associated with longitudinal changes in hippocampal volume among Japanese community dwellers

Mediterranean Diet as a Tool to Combat Inflammation and Chronic Diseases. An Overview

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